Mark Taylor, right, calls on members of the media as they ask questions of Long Beach Vice-Mayor Robert Garcia, left, Cal State Long Beach president President F. King Alexander, Long Beach City College President Eloy Ortiz Oakley and Long Beach Unified School District Superintendent Christopher J. Steinhauser during a press conference at the Walter Pyramid on the CSULB campus is CSULB on Tuesday, October 9, 2012. Together, the three education leaders serve more than 125,000 students at campuses employing more than 12,000 individuals, making them one of the city's largest employers. The officials held the press conference to inform voters of the impact if Proposition 30 fails in November. (Jeff Gritchen / Staff Photographer)

LONG BEACH - In the Long Beach Unified School District, students could see fewer programs and shorter school years.

Long Beach City College could turn away up to 1,300 qualified students.

At Cal State Long Beach, students could see higher tuition and deep cuts to courses.

These are some of the potential cuts that local education leaders say could be enacted if Gov. Jerry Brown's tax initiative, known as Proposition 30, fails to pass in the Nov. 6 elections.

On Tuesday, LBUSD Superintendent Chris Steinhauser, LBCC President Eloy Oakley and CSULB President F. King Alexander gathered on the steps of the university's Walter Pyramid to describe the devastating impacts on local education if Prop. 30 fails.

"Without a basic commitment of resources from our state, our ability to serve students is in great peril," the trio said in a written statement. "State cuts already are impacting students in significant ways, and yet further cuts to education loom."

Designed mainly to fund California's schools, Prop. 30 increases personal income tax on annual earnings over $250,000 for seven years and also increases sales and use tax by a quarter cent for four years, generating an estimated $6 billion annually.

Supporters, including the California Democratic Party and the California Teachers Association, say the measure prevents massive cuts to education and provides billions of dollars in funding for classrooms.

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Opponents, such as the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, say Prop. 30 is a temporary fix that doesn't guarantee new funding for schools, and furthermore, doesn't address the need to cut waste and administrative overhead.

Nonetheless, officials in Long Beach said the numbers are clear - the LBUSD, LBCC and CSULB will lose a collective $72 million in annual state funding if Prop. 30 fails.

Long Beach Vice Mayor Robert Garcia, who works as a spokesman for LBCC, said the measure not only impacts local schools, but also the city's economy.

LONG BEACH, CALIF. USA -- Cal State Long Beach president President F. King Alexander, left, Long Beach Unified School District Superintendent Christopher J. Steinhauser , center, and Long Beach City College President Eloy Ortiz Oakley, chat with Vice-Mayor Robert Garcia, right before a press conference at the Walter Pyramid on the campus is CSULB on Tuesday, October 9, 2012. (Jeff Gritchen / Staff Photographer)

"Long Beach would take a $72 million hit to the local economy if Prop. 30 fails," Garcia said. "Our city's education system is the largest employer with over 13,000 jobs, so the economic impact is huge."

Long Beach Unified

For the state's third-largest school district, that would mean an additional $35 million in cuts from its 2012-13 budget. The cuts would come on top of the $22 million in program cuts already implemented this year and an overall $300 million cut from the district's operating budget since 2008.

In an effort to save funds, the LBUSD has boosted classroom sizes and eliminated more than 1,000 jobs.

Steinhauser said additional losses in funding will have a dire impact on school services and programs. The district is considering a grim list of proposals, including reducing or eliminating high school sports, reducing the school year from 180 days to 160 days, closing multiple small schools, eliminating elementary music and art, eliminating librarians and counselors, increasing class sizes and more.

While concerned for the future of education, Steinhauser, a Long Beach native, said he believes residents understand the importance of Prop. 30.

"Our citizens have always come together to do what's right, and education is the right thing to do," he said.

Long Beach City College

California's community colleges are also facing tough times.

The nation's largest community college system has seen an $809 million reduction in funding since 2008.

Funding for LBCC has dropped by more than $10.9 million - a 9.7 percent reduction. In April, LBCC laid off 55 employees and reduced contracts for 96 positions for a savings of more than $5 million.

The college is now considering cutting up to 17 programs, such as photography and welding, in the 2013-2014 year for a savings of $2 million.

Oakley said the college would need to cut an additional $6.4 million if Prop. 30 fails. The reduction would mean slashes to programs, full-time faculty positions and admissions.

Oakley said the college could be forced to turn away up to 1,300 qualified students next fall, putting enrollment at historically low levels.

"That is not where the state should be," Oakley said. "We need to be educating more students, not less. We need to provide them with more resources, not less."

Cal State Long Beach

As for the country's largest collection of four-year universities, the 23-campus California State University system is bracing for a $250 million mid-year "trigger cut" in state funding if Prop. 30 fails.

The trigger cut would come on top of an overall $750 million reduction in state funding.

The CSU has already frozen enrollment for the spring semester and approved a $150 increase in student tuition in January if Prop. 30 fails.

CSULB would see a roughly $31 million loss in funding, forcing the campus to reduce courses and slash admission for up to 2,000 qualified students next fall.

Alexander said the reductions in admissions are significant, considering that Long Beach received a record 78,000 applications from prospective students for the fall 2013 semester.

The Long Beach campus alone has seen its state support plummet from $205 million in 2007 to $131 million this year, Alexander added. The additional cut would mean a nearly 42 percent loss in state funding.

"You can argue that we've gone from being a state-assisted university to a state-located university," he said.

Alexander said the cuts would reduce state funding by $800 per student, putting overall spending at $3,500 per student - well below the national average of $7,200.

"This would place us below state funding in states like Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, New Mexico and North Dakota," he said. "That is something Californians should not be proud of, that their students are not being supported at the levels students are supported in other states."

What: Gov. Jerry Brown's November Tax Initiative, known as Proposition 30, increases personal income tax on annual earnings over $250,000 for seven years. It also increases sales and use tax by a quarter cent for four years - an increase from 7.25 percent to 7.5 percent. The tax initiative would generate an estimated $6 billion annually.

The cuts: Long Beach Unified, Long Beach City College and Cal State Long Beach would lose a combined $72 million in annual funding if Prop. 30 fails, officials said.

Long Beach Unified would cut $35 million from its 2012-13 budget.

Long Beach City College would cut $6.4 million.

Cal State Long Beach would cut $31 million from its budget.

For more information on Prop. 30, including arguments in favor and opposed, visit the Secretary of State's website at www.sos.ca.gov.